Finger-nail shield.



A. 0. KINDRED.

FINGER NAIL SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 19M.

Patented Apr. 13, 19115.

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FINGER-NAIL SHIELD.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. f3, 1915.,

Application filed July 81, 1914 Serial No. 85%,339.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANNA D. KINDRED, citizen of the United States, residing at Fargo, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Nail Shields, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved shield or covering for the finger nails and has for its primary object to provide an article of this character which will be neat in appearance, which may be readily applied, and which will effectually protect the nails to prevent the discoloring thereof, the in vention being particularly designed for use by persons working with chemicals or with such other liquids or'substances, as would cause injury to or a discoloration of the nails.

The invention has as a further object to provide an article of this character which will be light and so constructed as to conform to the size and contour of the nail to which it is applied, and which will be of such color and design as to simulate the natural appearance of the nails.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a protective shield of this character which will be thoroughly comfortable in use and which will be exceedingly simple in construction.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of my improved shield, Fig. 2 is a View showing one finger with the shield applied to the nail thereof, the shield being illustrated in section, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shield, Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof, particularly illustrating the arrangement of the pocket formed on one extremity of the shield to receive the outer end of the nail, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the shield and particularly illustrating the construction thereof, at the base, and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken through the shield.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all of the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

In designing my improved shield for the finger nails, I had in mind the provision of an article of this character which can be readily manufactured, and which can be carried in stock by stores handling toilet articles, where it can be readily purchased by manicurists or others desiring to use the shield, and of also providing a shield which can be readily applied by a manicurist in connection with her usual work, although it is to be understood that other persons can, with equal facility, apply the shield themselves.

It is further intended that my improved shield shall be manufactured in various sizes and shapes to conform to the sizes and shapes of the finger nails. of the hands of different people, and therefore, in the present description, this will. be readily understood, and only a single shield will be specifically referred to. In other words, it is intended that a particular vshield shall be provided which will in shape generally conform to the shape of the nail of the thumb and similar shields will also be provided for the other finger nails of the hand. Since the thumb nails of difi'erent persons vary in size as do also the other nails of the hand, shields for each nail of the hand will be provided in various different sizes.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, my improved shield includes a body portion 10 which is substantially concavo-convex and is'curved longitudinally as well as transversely. This curvature of the body portion 10 is such as to conform to the curvature of the particular nail of the hand for which the shield is intended so that the in ner face of the shield will contact, throughout its entire area, with the outer face of the nail.

The body portion 10 is substantially ovate, preferably, as shown, the edges thereof being continuously curved from the outer extremity of the body portion to its inner extremity, the said body portion being wider at its outer end than at its inner end. This general configuration of the body portion of the shield will be preserved according to the particular finger of the hand for which the shield is designed, and it is intended that the dimensions of the body portion of the shield shall be slight v greater than the exposed upper surface of the hail of the hand for which the shield is intended so that the edges of the shield may be trimmed off to snugly fit the nail when applying the nail in use, it being desirable that the side edges of the shield shall contact with the flesh at the sides and base of the nail.

At this point, it may be Well to state that my improved shield is preferably formed of celluloid, although any other suitable material may be employed, Which is relatively thin, flexible, and translucent. It is intended that the shield shall have these properties and shall'be colored to simulate the natural color of the human finger nail. Furthermore, it is desired that the outer face of the shield shall be capable of being polished, so that when applied, the shield will give the appearance of a neatly manicured finger nail. At the base of the shield, the body portion 10 will be relatively colored in the form of a crescent 11, the same as the usual crescent found at the base of the human finger nail, which crescent, as is well known, is'of a lighter color than the body portion of the nail.

At its base, the body portion 10 is preferably beveled or cut away upon its upper face, as shown at 12 so that the inner end edge of the shield may fit neatly around the cuticle of the finger nail. At its outer eX- tremity, the body portion 10 is formed with a transversely extending longitudinally curved flange or lip 13, which is preferably integral with the body portion and which provides a pocket at the outer extremity of the shield disposed to receive the outer curved end edge of the finger nail. It will be observed that the lip 13 confronts the inner face of the shield and is disposed to bear under the nail at the outer extremity thereof, the said lip being preferably provided with an inner curved free edge 14: adapted to conform to the are found beneath the nail at the point where the nail leaves the flesh. At its outer extremity, in applying the shield, the outer end edge of the nail can be trimmed to fit snugly within the pocket formed by the lip 13 so that the said edge of the nail .will conform to the curvature of the shield at the inner extremity of said pocket and further so that the lip 13 will bear comfortably beneath the outer extremity of the nail.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have more particularly shown the manner in which my improved shield is used, while in Fig. 2, I

have illustrated the shield applied. If desired, the inner face of the body portion 10 may be coated with a suitable thickness of antiseptic paste 15, glue or other similar substance, which may be moistened when the shield is being applied and which will firmly hold the shield in position. However, it is not absolutely necessary that such thickness of adhesive substance be applied to the shield in the manufacture thereof, as said substance may be manually applied, when desired. It is intended that the adhesive substance employed in applying the shield shall be Waterproof so that such substance will form a relatively permanent bond between the shield and the finger nail. Since the specific constituents of such adhesive substance forms no part of my invention, it will not be described, but as is well known, various such substances are now on the market which are impervious to water but which may be readily removed by the application of alcohol.

It will therefore be seen that I provide a very simple and eflicient article for the purpose set forth, which may be readily applied, and when so applied, will simulate the natural appearance of the human finger nail. It will further be seen that the shields may be reapplied in use, and will thus provide an inexpensive means for protecting the finger nails, the said shields being so constructed as to thoroughly protect the nail from the action of chemicals or other substances such as would injure the nails or re sult in their discolorationl Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 7 An article of the class described including a relatively thin flexible translucent body portion adapted to simulate the appearance of a human finger nail, the said body portion being adapted to fit within the confines of the nail upon the exposed upper face thereof and being provided with means for adhesively engaging the nail, there being a transversely extending lip formed on the body portion at one end adapted to inclose the free end of the nail to fit beneath the under side thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MRS. ANNA D. KINDRED. LL 8.

Witnesses:

J. A. ANDERSON, JNO. J. Herr. 

